3 - (SYM 35) Project REBOOT: Evaluation of an Adjunctive Inhibitory Control Training to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Binge Eating

Outcomes from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED) are suboptimal. One potential explanation is that CBT fails to adequately target inhibitory control (i.e., the ability to withhold an automatic response), which is a key maintenance factor for binge eating. Computerized inhibitory control training (ICT) is a promising method for improving inhibitory control but is relatively untested in BN/BED. The present study preliminarily evaluated a computer-based ICT as an adjunct to CBT for BN/BED. Sixty-three participants (87.3% female, 82.5% White) with BN (n = 30) and BED (n = 33) were randomized to 12 weeks of either CBT + ICT or CBT + sham training. Trainings were completed daily for the first 4 weeks and weekly for the remaining 8 weeks of treatment. While we did not observe a significant effect of training condition on changes in inhibitory control over treatment (Est = 1.413, S.E. = 18.489, p = 0.940), greater early changes in inhibitory control (from weeks 1-4) significantly predicted reduced binge eating frequency at post-treatment (Est = -0.032, S.E. = 0.013, p = 0.024). Although we were not powered for efficacy analyses, 47.1% of participants in ICT were remitted from binge eating at post-treatment compared to only 34.5% of participants in sham. These preliminary findings indicate that a larger, fully-powered trial is necessary to establish the effectiveness of adjunctive ICTs for binge eating. Future studies should also examine dose–response effects of ICT for BN/BED.